First box build. What do i need to know?

[wcarson8911 10+ year member]

Okay, i'm going to try and build my first box. I'm either doing single 12 or dual 12. I've drawn it out and everything and have the dimensions. I know i need 3/4 MDF wood, screws, wood glue (what brand), and silicone sealant (what brand) and what else do i need? i want to build a box that will fit flush against the backseat like this.. _

>>> (side view) |_\ how hard would this be with the proper tools?

a couple more questions:

Do i need to put a sub baffle on the box. and if i do does it need to be on the outside or inside? Last question- what size does the cutout need to be for a 12 inch sub?

Click to read more...

 

[GrnEydDvl 10+ year member]

Manufacturer's will have the cut out size for your particular sub. Check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website.

I use Tightbond II for my wood glue and highly recommend it.

For the baffle all you need to do is cut the hole in the wood and screw the sub down.

The caulk I use for sealing is called Silicone II and is found at home depot or any other type store.

 

[wcarson8911 10+ year member]

Manufacturer's will have the cut out size for your particular sub. Check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website.
I use Tightbond II for my wood glue and highly recommend it.

For the baffle all you need to do is cut the hole in the wood and screw the sub down.

The caulk I use for sealing is called Silicone II and is found at home depot or any other type store.

the Alpine type X owners manual says 11.9" frount mount mounting diameter so i'm assuming thats the size hole i need to cut. Also, does the internal shape of the box matter sound wise. If it is a longer, skinnier box (more rectangular than square), like a 18.5" wide, 13" high, and 11" deep internal area, would that affect sound?

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

no. most boxes are

 

[wcarson8911 10+ year member]

okay thanks, and also what about the terminals. how do those work?

 

[Dynasty 10+ year member]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but in the manual for my Kicker C12VR it does not have the cut out measurment, so I googled it and found this: Mounting Cutout, Diameter: 10-15/16 in (27.8 cm). Does that seem like the right measurment for a 12" sub?

 

[vladd 10+ year member]

to dynasty, yes sounds about right, but to the thread starter i think you have the outside diameter of the sub, not the cutout diameter, not familiar with alpine, someone else can chime in, but that seems awful big for a cutout diameter

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

Due to the shape of the box you want to build i'd HIGHLY recommend using a circular saw with adjustable tilt...

what do you need to know? building boxes is very easy as long as you know the fundamentals... you want clean edges, 90 degree corners, countersunk screws, and... thats about it lol. As long as you've got a good cut sheet and well cut pieces to start with, you can slap a box together in an hour, and then do all your finishing work in about 2.

Do you plan on cutting your own wood?

if you're having HD do it, make sure you're got a router w/ a flushtrim bit or that you're **** good with your circular saw, because they'll ALWAYS **** something up and force you to compensate.

 

[wcarson8911 10+ year member]

i've decided to do a normal box since it would only come out 2 1/2 inches further in my trunk and i can swing that. Are the sheets of wood from home depot well cut 90 degree edges when you buy them? what are counter sunk screws?

 

[vladd 10+ year member]

yes HD will cut 90 degrees for you, the cuts are usually good, never great, flush trim bit would be nice but if you don't have one a sander and a lot more time can get good results

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

i've decided to do a normal box since it would only come out 2 1/2 inches further in my trunk and i can swing that. Are the sheets of wood from home depot well cut 90 degree edges when you buy them? what are counter sunk screws?

first of all, when working with MDF ALWAYS predrill a pilot hole for your wood screws. After you predrill, you should switch bits and use a drill bit slightly larger than the head of your screws... use the drill drill hole to center your bit over it. When you pop in your screws, instead of sitting on top of the wood, the head will be sunk into the wood (however deep you drilled with your larger bit, usually you want about 1/8 of an inch).

This is absolutely necessary when you plan on painting or using vinyl, and helps quite a bit with most carpets. If you paint or use vinyl, you'll need to use a wood filler or body filler in the holes and sand to smooth out the surface before covering it or spraying.

when i was talking about 90 degree angles, i was talking about the importance of making sure the panels that make up the walls of your box meet at 90 degree angles... you can buy special right angle clamps just for that purpose at harbourfreight.com. they make things a LOT easier, and save you from doing too much cussing //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[vladd 10+ year member]

i usually remove my screws after the glue sets and fill in the holes with putty, then sand smooth. just personal preference

 

[wcarson8911 10+ year member]

do i need to seperate the chambers with two boards or would one 3/4 board be enough to seperate?